Politics

5:20 pm

Wed June 19, 2013

Labor Sec. Seth Harris on How to Reduce the Deficit by $200 Billion

U.S. Secretary of Labor Seth Harris told KUT News that a comprehensive reform of the immigration policies will requiring reforming a "broken" legal immigration system, cracking down on employers of illegal immigrants and strenthening border security.

Filipa Rodrigues for KUT News

This week Congress will take up what some say is a long overdue reform of national immigration policy. The U.S. has been slow to recover from the recession, and U.S. Secretary of Labor Seth Harris says this overhaul could be a boon for the economy.

"This bill is going to drive economic growth in our country. There is a Congressional Budget Office report that just came out that said we are going to reduce the deficit by $200 billion in the first 10 years of this bill and $700 billion in the second 10 years. That's because we'll have much increased economic growth in our society if we pass comprehensive immigration reform."

We spoke with Harris about what's needed for a truly comprehensive immigration reform, the challenges faced by unemployed workers across the country and the role of education in providing a skilled workforce in the future.